Coconut husk defibering machine



March 10, 1953 FLQRQ COCONUT HUSK DEFIBERING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 19%? IN VENTUR.

VMCZ rzz w' id 770 F7070 av w ATTCI RN EYE March 10, 1953 M. FLORO 2,630,602

COCONUT HUSK DEF'IBERING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 u fiv) I N VEN TOR.

Natz'nz'avzo Flora F ATTD R N EYE;

March 10, 1953 M. FLORO 2,630,602

COCONUT HUSK DEFIBERING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR.

ATTD RN EYE Patented Mar. 10, 1953 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2,630,602 coooNU'r ans DEFIBERING MACHINE Martiniano Flo ropManila,Philippine Islands I A lication April 25, 1947, Serial No. 743,872

My present invention relates to the general class of vegetable defibering machines, and more specifically to an improved coconut husk defiber ing machine which is especially adapted for scraping coconut coir dust and short fibers from the husks of the nuts, thus separating the clean bristle fibers as well as the spinnable coir fibers, for subsequent treatment and use.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a machine for this purpose that is composed of a minimum number of component parts that may be manufactured with. facility, at low cost of production, and the parts assembled with convenience to provide a defibering machine that is simple in construction and operation. The machine is designed to scrape the husks of their soft pulpy'material (coir dust), adhering to the coir fiber in its natural state, without necessity for rotting, and the machineis durable, eflicient, and economical in defibering coconut husks of their coir fibers for future use.

In carrying out my invention, I utilize in combination, a number of longitudinally extending chains or chain-conveyors for the husks, and a group or series of rotary scrapers that co-act with the conveyors; and the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will herein for the practical application of the principles of my invention. It will, however, be understood that various changesand alterations are contemplated and may be Jxnade in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures, within the scope ofmy claims, without departingfrom the principles of my invention.

Figure l is a side elevation of a deflbering machine in which my invention is embodied.

Figure 2' is a top plan View of the machine.

Figure 3 is a front end elevation of the machine; and g p I Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional detail view showing the relation of one of the longitudinally extending conveyorsto one of the scraper drums of the machine.

In the preferred form of the invention as shown in the drawingsa horizontally disposed, somewhat cruciform, supporting frame F is utilized, and a main rotary shaft I is centrally journaled therein in bearings 2, which numeral is also used 4 Claims. (Cl. 19-12) ings.

The centrally located horizontal and longitudinally extending shaft I supports a doubleacting, frusto-conical scraping drum 3 that is located at the front or feed end of the machine; and in addition two single-acting scraping drums 4 and 5 of similar construction and operation, but preferably of less diameter, are laterally spaced at opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the frame and of the front drum, and to the rear of the front or first drum.

These single rotary scrapers 4 and 5 are mounted upon and they rotate with shafts 6 and 1 journaled in bearings 2 of the frame F, and the three rotary scrapers are arranged with their smaller ends pointing toward the front or feed end of the machine to facilitate the scraping operations of the drums.

Each of the scraper drums is preferably fashioned with wooden staves as 8 in Fig. 4 which are bolted to steel split pulleys or circular end-heads of the drums, and the exterior surfaces of the drums are provided with multiple, radially arranged spikes 9 that terminate in exterior pointed ends it) which project from the drum a suflicient distance to scrape the coir dust and short fibers from the husks of the coconuts. The front or first, and double-acting scraper at the front or feed end of the machine revolves clockwise, to perform a scraping action at each. side of the drum, while the two laterally spaced rear or finishing drums or scrapers revolve opposite to each other to perform a downward and upward scraping action at their adjoining .inner sides as seen in Fig. 3.

The rotary scrapers are revolved, preferably at the same linear speeds, from a suitable source of power, as by an elevated or overhead power shaft H having fast and loose driven pulleys l2 and I3, and supported in bearings 2 at the apex of the frame F.

The central shaft I of the first drum 3 is driven from the power shaft by a belt drive including pulleys l4 and I5, and the belt l6; and the two finishing rotary scrapers are also driven from the power shaft by similar belt drives I! and I8 in which the belts are crossed so that these twoscrapers revolve oppositely at their adjoining inner sides.

Pieces of coconuthusks to be defibered are fed the work is carried along the opposite sides of the first drum, and then along the inner sides of the two finishing drums 4 and 5.

Before entering the two conveyors the husks are fed to and passed between two sets of spur gears l9 and 20, one set located at each side of the longitudinal center of the machine and mounted to rotate with cross shaft 2| and spindle 22 journaled in bearings 2, and these two sets of gears partly crush the husks in order to loosen their component parts so that the coir dust and short fibers may readily be scraped from the coir fibers. These two sets of crushing gears are driven by sprocket wheels S and chain 29a, and the husks are fed to the first set of conveyors in position so that the action of the scraper pins will take place on the outer or convex surface of the husks. The front rotary scraper cleans the fibers from one portion of the husks, and then the two rear scrapers clean the remaining portions of the fibers from the coconut husks.

There are four sets of endless chain conveyors, each set made up of two flexible chains draped in vertical planes and extending longitudinally of the machine and in planes parallel with the axis of rotation of the scraping drums.

The two front laterally arranged conveyors for the double acting rotary scraper each includes a lower sprocket chain 23 passing around two spaced sprocket wheels W, W; and an upper chain 25 passing around two more sprocket Wheels X-X and the upper flights of the chains pass over suspending idlers I, I, that are mounted upon a cross spindle K journaled in bearings 2 of the main frame.

The two rear endless conveyors for the single acting scrapers l and 5, each includes a lower chain 25 passing around spaced sprockets W, W, and an upper chain 26 also supported on spaced sprockets X, X, and suspended by their upper flights on idlers I, I. As seen in Figs. 1 and 2 the front conveyors and the two rear conveyors are related and arranged so that the husks, after having a portion scraped and cleaned by the double acting drum, are automatically transferred from the rear ends of the front conveyors to the front ends of the rear conveyors. By the rear conveyors the cleaned fibers of the husks are gripped, and the uncleaned portions of these husks are presented to or exposed to the two rear rotary scrapers. An allowance of at least one half inch between the two sprockets W, W and X, X, placed side by side on the ends of the shafts, where the conveyor chains automatically change their grips on the coconut husks is necessary for complete scraping and cleaning of coir dust from coir fibers.

As best seen in Fig. 4 where a portion of the drum 5, as an example is illustrated in its relation to conveyors 25 and 26, these chains are equipped with corrugated gripping faces 29, and the working flight of the lower chain glides along the upper face of an angle-iron track 36 mounted upon a suitable portion of the frame F.

The working flight of the upper chain, which co-acts by its weight with the lower chain to grip the husks, is also guided by a longitudinally extending overhead angle-iron track 3| mounted beneath the wooden guide bar 32.

As the drum turns counterclockwise with relation to the path of travel of the husks from the front or feeding end of the machine, the scraper pins in swing upwardly past the moving husks, scrape the coir dust adhering to the coir fibers, and leave them perfectly clean. The con- L W, W and X, X.

.4 cave guard 33 prevents the coir fibers from being thrown away from the scraper pins, thus giving the spikes more positive action in cleansing the coir fibers.

The coconut husks, in position crosswise or transversely of the machine are manually fed to each set of the chain conveyors 23, 24, in other words the husks or pieces thereof do not extend across the two sets of conveyors to be gripped by both simultaneously and then passing through the machine the cleansed fibers remaining in the conveyor chains are freed or released only at the end of the machine.

In Fig. 4 the scraping action is upward; and the same scraping and cleansing operation is attained by a downwardly turning drum and its spikes or pins, in which case the guard 33 is located below the conveyor, and the scraper separates the coir dust from the coir fiber and carries it downwardly.

t the rear ends of the finishing conveyors, bristle fibers of coconut husks that have been scraped and cleansed are released byconveyor chains 25 and 26 as they pass over the sprockets The four conveyors are actuated from power shaft II as shown in Fig. l where a Worm 36 meshes with a worm gear 31 which operates a chain drive 38 todrive the shaft 39; and this shaft 39 with its sprocket wheels X, X, and spur gears 34 which engage and drive spur gears 35, drives the upper chains 26 and lower chains 25 simultaneously; and power is transmitted to the upper and lower chains 24 and 23 respectively through sprocket wheels W, W and X, X, located at the middle portion of the machine.

The coir dust, together with the short coir fibers are gathered or collected in receptacles as they are dropped from the rotating scrapers and are then withdrawn from the receptacles for future use. The double acting scraper is covered by a housing 40, hinged at the middle so that it can be opened at either side, and it is provided with a chute 4| that deposits the collected coir dust and short fibers at one side of the machine.

The finishing scrapers are also provided with upper housings 42 having doors or gates 43 hinged at 44, and beneath these housings and below the scrapers are located chutes 45, 45, that receive the coir dust and short fibers from the scrapers and discharge them laterally of the machine.

From this description taken in connection with the drawings it will be apparent that the machine of my invention is capable of speedy and reliable performance of its functions in an economical and efficient manner.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for defibering coir fibers from the husks of coconuts having a supporting frame provided with laterally extending supporting portions the combination of a conical shaped rotary scraper horizontally journalled at the forward end of the frame and a conical shaped rotary scraper horizontally journalled in each laterally extending supporting portion, upper and lower sprocket means mounted at each end of the frame at opposite sidesthereof, upper and lower sprocket means mounted at the center of the frame in alinement with the sprocket means at the ends of the frame, a first set of endless gripping conveyors carried by the upper sprocket means at each end of the frame at each side of said first scraper and extending toward each other and received on the upper sprocket means at the center of the frame, a second set of endless gripping conveyors similarly mounted on the lower sprocket means, said endless gripping conveyors thus mounted extending longitudinally of the frame, outwardly of the first mentioned rotary scraper and inwardly of the second pair of rotary scrapers, and the first and second set of conveyors at opposite sides of the frame being in contact with each other to grip husks of coconuts, thus when husks of coconuts are fed to said first rotary scraper the husks of coconuts will have a portion cleaned therefrom and then be conveyed to the second set of rotary scrapers for the further cleaning thereof.

2. A machine as in claim 1 wherein longitudinally extending guides for each of said endless gripping conveyors are mounted on said frame in contact with one side of the upper conveyor and the bottom of the lower conveyor to provide sliding guiding engagement of the conveyors with the guides.

3. A machine as in claim 1 wherein a pair of REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 460,303 McGrath et a1. Sept. 29, 1891 738,893 Ellis Sept. 15, 1903 1,700,161 Hannold Jan. 29, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 256,396 Italy Dec. 23, 1927 

